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Catalan Literature: From Modernism to Noucentisme

Key Literary Works and Authors

"The Slope" by Clementine Ardiu reflects on the equilibria between the good and the bad in life. (19th Century).

"I would not be more than a bird alone," by Carles Riba, explores themes of nature, *tempus fugit*, and love. (Noucentisme).

"Súnion!" by Carles Riba, expresses ideals of democracy and freedom, and a perfect mental identification with the temple while in exile. (Noucentisme). "Mutilated Temple."

"Ode to Catalonia from the Tropics," by Agustí Bartra, conveys a longing for his country, which has become a strange land to him. "The furious tropic of the Silver Cross thrusts my face."

"Sun and Mourning," by J.V. Foix, deals with the clarification of his imaginary... Continue reading "Catalan Literature: Modernism to Noucentisme" »

Cervantes' Life and the Creation of Don Quixote

Cervantes was born in Alcalá de Henares. During his childhood and youth, he lived in Valladolid, Córdoba, Seville, and Madrid. He participated in the Battle of Lepanto and was captured by the Turks when he returned to Spain, spending five years in prison. Don Quixote was published in two parts: the first in 1605 and the second in 1615.

Part One

• First Outing: Alonso Quijano loses his mind reading many chivalric romances. He decides to imitate the heroes he reads about.
• Second Outing: Don Quixote travels with his squire, Sancho Panza. After various adventures, both return to their village.

Part Two

• Third Outing: He is defeated on the beach in Barcelona by the Knight of the White Moon. He returns home,

Valle Inclán: Modern Poetry

Valle Inclán is known for three books of modern poetry:

• Aromas of Legend (1907): A fusion of modernism with the mystical grounds of lyrical Galicia.
• The Passenger (1920): Deals with issues using imagination, magic, and astrology.
• The Pipe Kif (1919): Coloristic style, a caricature of the nonsensical.

His poetry is characterized by significant rhythms, rhyme, and color.

Juan Ramón Jiménez: Pure Poetry

Juan Ramón Jiménez's personal work is related to pure poetry and the aesthetics of silence.

Stage 1: Sensory

• Arias Tristes (1903)
• Jardines Lejanos (1904)
• Balada de Primavera (1907)
• Platero y yo (1914)

Stage 2: Intellectual

• Diario de un poeta recién casado (1916)

Stage 3: Exile

• Estación Total (1946)
• Dios deseado y deseante (1949)

Early Life and Education

Rosalía de Castro was born in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, on February 24, 1837. Her mother, Teresa Castro y Abbey, was a gentlewoman of dwindling fortune. There is no evidence to support the claim that her father was the priest José Martínez Viojo. Rosalía was named Rosalía de María Rita. She spent her early years in Padrón before moving to Santiago de Compostela in 1850. Rosalía received a higher level of education than was typical for girls of her time, studying French, drawing, and music at the Sociedade Económica de Amigos del País. She also participated in activities and meetings at the Liceo de la Juventud, where she made her theatrical debut and likely met Aurelio Aguirre and Eduardo Pondal.

Literary

Neoplatonism's Influence on Love and Beauty

Renaissance Neoplatonism elevated love and beauty to essential components for spiritual transcendence. This philosophy heavily influenced the era's love lyric. Petrarchism, introduced in the 16th century by Juan Boscán and Garcilaso de la Vega, became a prominent literary movement.

Garcilaso de la Vega: A Renaissance Gentleman

Garcilaso de la Vega, a model Renaissance gentleman, combined literary pursuits with military service. Despite his early death, he produced a diverse body of work, including sonnets, songs, elegies, and epistles written in blank verse (e.g., Epistle to Boscán). He broke with tradition by using unrhymed lines instead of the classical chained tercets for the epistolary genre.... Continue reading "Renaissance Neoplatonism and Spanish Lyric Poetry" »

Theme 1: Origin and development of the languages of Spain: Except for Basque (Euskera), whose origin is unknown (but which greatly influenced Castilian), all languages spoken in the Iberian Peninsula (Castilian, Galician, Catalan, and Portuguese) and some dialects (Leonese and Aragonese) derive from Latin. When the peninsula became a Roman province, it adopted the language of the invaders, Vulgar Latin. This is the origin of all the Romance languages (derived from Latin). Before Roman colonization, the Peninsula was inhabited by diverse peoples from two cultures, the Celtic and Iberian, each with several languages. The Romanization process, by which people entered the Hispanic Latino cultural world, was very slow and incomplete in some areas.... Continue reading "Spanish Languages: Origins, Evolution, and Dialects" »

Creationism: Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio (1900-1930) was committed to the group from a very young age. He was never independent. He studied sports in Vigo and died of tuberculosis.

He published only one book of poems, De catro a catro (1928), although others were published posthumously. He also authored, with Álvaro Cebreiro, the manifesto Máis alá! (1922). De catro a catro is one of the most original works of contemporary Portuguese poetry. It is composed of nineteen poems. His technique reflects the poetic avant-garde influence of creationist Vicente Huidobro, who conceived the poem as a succession of images. Other traits of Manuel Antonio are: free verse, the technique of calligram, the use of foreign vocabulary, irony, and humorous games.... Continue reading "Galician Poetry and Culture: Post-War Repression and Literary Movements" »

Literary Genres: Mimesis and Beyond

Mimesis refers to imitation, encompassing both the representation of reality and the emulation of classical forms. There are three primary models: lyrical, dramatic, and narrative.

Narrative Genre

Narrative genres include epics in verse, which often tell the story of a hero. A prominent narrative form is the novel, characterized by its totalizing intention and extensive fictional plot spanning time and place. Sub-genres include:

• Cavalry novels
• Picaresque novels
• Realistic novels
• Psychological novels
• Detective novels

Novellas and short stories are shorter and less complex forms.

The Short Story (Cuento)

A short story is brief, with a limited number of characters, concentrated in its focus, simple, and often traditional.... Continue reading "Understanding Literary Genres: Mimesis, Narrative, Lyrical, and Theatrical" »

Lope de Vega: Life and Major Works

Major Works

• Swashbuckling Comedy: The Lady Loggerhead
• Discreet Love
• Palatine Comedies: The Dog in the Manger
• Biblical Comedies: The Work of Jacob
• Plays of Saints: Good Guard
• Mythological Comedies: The Legend of Perseus
• Comedy Series: Peribañez and the Commander of Ocaña
• Tragedies: The Knight of Olmedo, Punishment Without Revenge
• Court Theater: Love Love

Source Ovejuna

It raises the open confrontation between a man who abuses his power and the people of Fuente Ovejuna. The men show passivity in the attitude of the commander, which induces Laurencia to act.

The Gentleman from Olmedo

Based on a true story (the murder of a gentleman born in 1532 occurred on the road to Medina Olmedo). The protagonist, Don Alonso, senses his... Continue reading "Lope de Vega: Life, Works, and Theatrical Innovations" »

Spain during this period was under an authoritarian government led by Francisco Franco. It created a one-party structure that brought together the victors. This led to a temporary isolation of the country. However, Spain was accepted into the UN in the early 1950s, an event that marked a breakthrough.

Novels written by exiled authors showed nostalgia for the lost homeland. Prominent authors of this time include:

• Francisco Ayala: His works, such as *The Usurpers* and *Death of a Dog*, and *At the Bottom of the Glass*, all share a common theme: the Civil War.
• Max Aub: Leaning towards realism, he wrote *Valverde's House* and *Fields*, also with the Civil War as a theme.
• Ramón J. Sender: His work *Requiem for a Spanish Peasant* depicts the relationship